


snowfall

by arcadianwriter (noxstories)



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: (canon compliant ie an explanation to george's whereabouts in dream smp lore), (more tba as story progresses!!), Canon Compliant, King GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), King/Knight, Knight Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), M/M, Magic, Memory Loss, Time Loop, bubble universes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:27:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29274669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noxstories/pseuds/arcadianwriter
Summary: There are three constants in the King of the SMP’s life. The crown on his head. The snowstorm raging outside, bitter and relentless. And the presence of his best friend and loyal knight by his side.There are three rules in George’s life. His crown will always be feather light. The snowstorm will never cease. And Dream will always have his back.Until one day his constants aren’t so constant, and his rules are broken, and everything goes wrong.[Or, there’s a reason George is never involved in the main lore.]
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 54





	snowfall

**Author's Note:**

> hi!! welcome to yet another fic explaining why george isn't in the smp lore because i'm gay and stupid and can't help myself!! this is gonna be multi-chaptered; it's not all planned out yet, but i'm hoping to do that tomorrow/in the next few days in order for me to update the total chapter count!
> 
> this will eventually be dnf because i can't help myself, but it's all in character and i am very aware they don't actually date irl LMAO,, if any of the ccs ever demand work like this is taken down, i'll abide by what they say!!
> 
> something important to keep in mind while reading this: it's set after george is dethroned in the beginning of season two, which is important to remember because it makes this chapter make even less sense!! kudos to you if you work out what's happening, i tried to make it clear at the end without actually saying it!! this is a mystery, and hopefully you'll enjoy unravelling it with george throughout the chapters :D
> 
> and YES, the names of chapters are foreshadowing and important, so pay attention to them if you want to!!
> 
> okay enough rambling LMAO, please read and enjoy!! :]

It was snowing. These days, it was always snowing. 

Snowflakes spun through the air in a dizzying dance, whirling around their partners to music only they could hear as they fell to the ground. The same patterns, day in, day out, a flurry of repetition: why George studied them so intensely as if one day it would change, his friends could never tell. 

Neither could he. It was idle, he knew. Lazy, even — while others worked tirelessly to keep his kingdom on its feet and productive, he could curl up by the window in his castle and watch the world swirl by him, never overworked, never busy. 

Truly the life of a king. If his lifestyle didn’t indicate royalty, then the crown on his head did; glittering blue and silver like it had been designed for him alone. He was reluctant to take it off, even more reluctant to be seen without it, and though after a while it was heavy on his head, he still wore it with nobody around - out of pride, out of necessity, out of not knowing who he was without it. It was a beautiful thing - delicate, strewn with fragile blue gems on a silver platform. George adored it. It never left his sight.

The castle was colder than usual, midday temperatures hitting a new low, but this room was warm enough: the fire crackling merrily barely two metres away from him had a surplus of wood to keep it burning for as long as he needed it to. The walls themselves radiated heat - a nifty little trick Sapnap had performed, his smile sharp as steel, cupping George’s soft hands between his calloused ones and murmuring something in a language George didn’t understand, hands flooding with heat. It had been a magical experience at fifteen, when George had been new to Sapnap’s powers and new to Sapnap in general, and even years later, he found his pensive expression turning nostalgic, the hint of a smile creeping over his lips. Sapnap. He missed him.

The smile fell, turned restless. _Sapnap._

Thinking about his best friend these days only brought headaches, ones severe enough to ruin his entire day, so George closed his eyes, forehead pressed against the window, and tried his best to ward off such thoughts. It was a valiant attempt, but the stifling loneliness in the room where there had once been laughter and chaos only years before settled into his bones like an old blanket, one he couldn’t quite shake off. With a sigh, he surrendered himself to the rising gloom of the day and his thoughts, standing to stretch and inch closer to the fire. He only felt colder inside, though.

Somewhere beyond the window and the castle and the snow, there was a battle happening - or maybe it had already finished. There were battles happening all the time, he knew, but battles that involved his friends were the ones he worried about. Somewhere, Sapnap was fighting for his life against an opponent far craftier than he was; he’d surely lose, of this George was almost certain, but it was the unknown of what his opponent would do after that concerned him. 

Would Sapnap be killed, another life stolen away from him? Or would he be locked up, left to rot for the rest of his days? Something more extreme? Something more creative? George usually held no regard for the aftermath of war - as long as it didn’t concern him, he didn’t care much - but when it came to Sapnap, proud, stubborn, fiery Sapnap, George found himself caring far too much. Despite all that had happened, he foolishly hoped his friend would get away with just an apology.

...He knew that he wouldn’t. Sapnap was too hot tempered to apologise, the other man too hot tempered to let him go without one. George was the only cool tempered one: he paid for that by watching the fallout.

Dropping into the plush armchair by the fire and tipping his face upwards, George settled back, trying to will away his incoming headache. Being a ruler could be so hard.

“Boo.” Hands covered his eyes teasingly, a pointed chin resting on his head. “Guess who.”

George fought down a wave of delight and the familiar flip in his stomach. Surely not. Instead, he hummed with fake thoughtfulness, quelling his grin. “Hm,” he said, deliberately slow, “I don’t know. Bad?”

His intruder chuckled, warm and deep. “Nope.”

“Then Wilbur.”

“He’d rather slap you.”

“How about Quackity?”

 _“He’d_ rather kiss you.” There was a definite whine in the other’s voice now, so familiar that George couldn’t quite hold back his laugh. “Come on, George. It hasn’t been that long.”

“I just don’t know,” George sighed, “I don’t have any other friends who would do this. I mean, there’s _someone,_ but he’s been gone for so long that I’m pretty sure he hates me. Why else would he deprive me of his company?”

The _he_ in question laughed, a familiar warm sound that had something coiling in the back of George’s chest. _“Someone_? Have you forgotten my name already, Your Highness?”

 _Your Highness._ It had been a while since the name hadn’t felt like swallowing glass. Despite his previous brooding, George grinned. 

“I wish I could,” he murmured, and then yelped when his ear was flicked. “Dream! Stop being an idiot, let me see you.”

With a long suffering sigh, George found the hands slipping off his eyes, and he turned eagerly to face his best friend.

The first thing he noticed was that Dream was… incredibly clean. Perhaps this wouldn’t startle most people, but George, who knew Dream better than he knew anyone else, was well aware of the usual mud that would layer Dream’s boots, or the grit that would catch on his skin, and could see the pinkness of Dream’s skin without looking closely. Dream must have scrubbed at his skin and clothes to clean them before showing up - which meant the battle had turned bloody, which meant that things had gotten messy. Even his mask shone brightly, only disfigured by the long crack running down the centre of the porcelain mould. 

“It’s been too long,” Dream said, coming to the front of the chair and studying George with nothing but affection in his gaze. “I was beginning to miss you.”

“Beginning to?” George teased, tilting his head in mock-offence. “You wound me, Dream. Is that any way to talk to your best friend?” 

He couldn’t quite resist gesturing for Dream to join him on his chair, and Dream didn’t seem to be able to resist doing so, slipping into the chair beside George despite how cramped it was. This was the side of Dream George adored - the slight softness to his harder edges, the way he would do anything for him. If George asked Dream to die for him, he would, without hesitation, he was sure of it.

If Dream asked George to die for him, he thought he might do so. That was the scary part he tried not to think about. Because as much as he liked to pretend Dream was the one who would go to any length for him, it was just as much the other way round too.

Dream hummed, low in his chest, tipping his head back and studying the ceiling. “Of course, of course, my apologies,” he said, amusement lacing his tone. George pursed his lips playfully.

“My apologies, Your Highness.”

This drew an actual laugh, and Dream’s eyes crinkled when they turned to him. “You’re such an idiot, George.”

George abandoned the act, grinning and slinging his legs over Dream’s, linking them together. Now that Dream was here, the whole castle seemed to come to life, the snow’s dance growing more merry, the lights growing brighter - if George was the head of the kingdom, Dream was the heart of it, the one who kept it worth it. He knew he would have long since run it all to the ground if it hadn’t been for Dream - loyal, caring Dream who did his paperwork for him and fought his wars for him and dished out important orders from him. It was a wonder he hadn’t exhausted himself yet; George could see the dark shadows under his best friend’s eyes, and felt guilty - but the last time he’d tried to intervene, Dream had refused point blank to let him help, which had been both frustrating and endearing.

 _“You don’t need to shoulder this by yourself, idiot,”_ George had told him that day, annoyance in his voice, _“just let me help with some things. I’m King, after all.”_

Dream had rolled his eyes, even as he’d ushered George back to his throne while carrying a stack of papers under his arm. _“Come on, George, I don’t need help. You don’t want to do any of this - it’s so boring. Hang out with Quackity or something, okay?”_

And he’d walked off with nothing more said, and George had been so annoyed he hadn’t spoken to him until later that night, when Dream had apologised and had stuck by his side like a puppy until George had been forced to forgive him. Nevertheless, he hadn’t tried to help again, no matter how exhausted Dream sometimes seemed.

Dream caught him looking, tilting his head merrily. “See something you like?” He smirked, and George elbowed him with a scoff. 

“I’m staring because you look like you’re going to pass out,” he huffed, “no other reason.” His voice lowered, some of the banter slipping from his tone. “Long day?”

His knight’s smirk drained, leaving his face a little hollow. His sigh was just as resigned. “Well,” he said evasively, “it certainly wasn’t easy. He’s- he’s a good fighter.”

He was. Sapnap was the best fighter in the kingdom, other than Dream himself, and Technoblade, who was a recluse somewhere even colder than the Dream SMP, and who the kingdom hadn’t heard from in months. George’s brow furrowed, and without being able to stop himself, he lifted a finger to trace a gash just under Dream’s mask. It must have been slammed against his face in the fight. “Where is he?” He asked, trying to keep his tone light. “Is he still…”

The thought of his old friend’s body lying out in the snow made him feel ill. Dream, picking up on this, clasped his hand in his own, squeezed it in reassurance, before letting go. 

“He’s safe. I didn’t hurt him that badly.” A wan smile crossed his face, tired, wistful. “Even if I could have, I didn’t want to. Whoever he is, whatever he’s doing, he’s still Sapnap, you know? I didn’t want to hurt him more than I had to. He’s in prison right now. Safe.”

Safe. Alive. Probably hurt, probably angry, probably a mess, but George focused firmly on the first part. Safe, alive; it was more than he’d hoped for. “Thank you,” he said, trying to push sincerity into his words, “that can’t have been an easy fight.”

Dream’s smile turned more fond, creeping affection rising in it. “It certainly makes for a heroic story,” he replied, sighing, “so I suppose that’s something. Quackity and Karl will love to hear it, right?”

“Right,” George echoed, “though I don’t know where they are. I haven’t seen them in a few days.”

Dream looked surprised, and then frowned. “A few days? Are you sure?”

...No, now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure. Time was so hard to track when Dream was away; bland, motionless, giddy, time seemed all over the place, impossible to count the days or hours or seconds that passed when he was alone. George pursed his lips, uncertain.

“Maybe a few hours,” he confessed, “I have no idea. I hate it when you go away, you know,” he added, in a childish outburst, “everything is boring while you’re not here. I missed you a lot.”

His best friend’s expression eased, and he snorted a laugh, linking their fingers again. “If I could trust anyone else to do half my jobs as well as I do them, then I’d be here all the time.” He looked rueful. “As it stands, I’m your best knight. If anyone was going to catch Sapnap, it was going to be me.”

George knew that. He wasn’t an idiot. Still, he couldn’t help but feel discontented. “One day, I’m going to issue a law that says the next person to demand your attention and presence away from the castle will be killed,” he muttered, only half joking, “it seems to happen so often.”

Dream wheezed. “George, you can’t kill your subjects for needing help, Jesus.”

“Are you going to stop me?” George played affronted. “I thought _I_ was the one who ruled _you,_ Dream, not the other way round.”

For some reason, something tense slipped into the air and into Dream’s shoulders. He glanced away, an indecipherable emotion passing under his mask. “Of course you are,” he said evenly, “I didn’t mean to make you feel like you didn’t.”

George blinked, thrown off guard. “...I was joking, Dream. Obviously I do. I’m King. Besides…” He hesitated. “I don’t rule you. You’re not one of my subjects. You’re my-”

Several words passed through his mind.

“You’re my best friend.” It felt so weak, so inadequate a word for what Dream was to him. “You’re above the law.”

The moment of tension passed. Dream turned back to face him, silent for a long moment, until he grinned finally. George let out a silent sigh of relief. 

“Make sure Quackity doesn’t hear you’re giving your friends passed on abiding the law,” he said with a smirk, “he’ll definitely try to take advantage of that.”

“Maybe I’ll let him,” George laughed, getting to his feet with reluctance, “I think it would make things much more exciting if he beheads someone important. I need some action around here. Everything is frozen.”

Dream followed him, standing up and stretching lithely. “If you want excitement, all you had to do was ask,” he pointed out, “we can hire entertainers or something. We don’t need _Quackity_ for that.”

“Jealous?” George teased. Dream scoffed.

“Oh, very, Your Highness,” he retorted, sarcasm in his words, before he softened, shaking his head. “Come on. It’s getting dark outside. We should eat, and then I can tell you about the horde of skeletons that almost killed me getting back here.” He put a hand to his heart dramatically as he headed for the door. “It was literally something out of a nightmare.”

George rolled his eyes. “If a horde of skeletons can take you out that easily, I’m surprised you beat Sapnap at all,” he said, amused, “that’s embarrassing.”

Dream pouted at him, looking incredibly affronted. “I almost didn’t make it back, George,” he said, and George had to stifle a laugh at the whine in the words of his knight, “I almost _died._ Would you have been devastated?”

 _I don’t know how I would go on,_ was what George didn’t say, heading for the door after casting a glance outside. Dark, like Dream said; somehow that didn’t seem right. “You’re so dramatic, you big baby, you would have been fine. But yes, yes, I would have been sad.”

“Sad?” Dream demanded, playfully outraged. “You’d be sad if I died-” He affected a different voice, mockingly. “ _‘Oh, George, how do you feel that someone ate your last slice of cake?’ ‘Sad.’ ‘Oh, George, how do you feel that your best friend and favourite knight died?’ ‘Sad.’_ That’s what that sounds like, that’s so mean, George!” Sad is such a vague word!”

George had to laugh, covering his mouth with his hand. “Okay, okay, you’re so demanding,” he complained, walking through the door Dream held for him on principle, “I’d be _devastated,_ yes, is that what you want to hear?”

“Yes,” Dream said, all cheer again, “absolutely it is.” He held out his hand; George took it without thinking. “Now, come on, Your Highness, dinner awaits. Now, the skeletons! So, it was pretty late, and I was about to sleep…”

The castle walls let his voice bounce off of them, echoing down lonely corridors and empty rooms. As they passed every window, it flickered dark outside, just long enough for the two to pass, before returning to their usual pale snowlit light. Midday, as usual. George didn’t notice, enthralled in Dream’s story, Dream’s antics, Dream.

The castle sighed, and ticked another day off. 

Another midday down. An infinite amount of middays to go.

**Author's Note:**

> chapter one done, pog!! i hope you enjoyed - please feel free to leave a kudos / comment if you did!! it's free, and you can always change your mind later (yes i'm stealing the youtube intro LMAO), and more than anything, it makes my day to read comments!!
> 
> chapter two will come in the next few days, and we'll be introduced to some of the other characters, and begin to uncover more of the plot!! thank you so much for reading, i really hope you enjoyed, and i hope you have a wonderful day/night :]


End file.
